Valentine’s Day don’ts: Foods that make you less kissable

We’re not judging, but we know that you have some ideas for what might happen this Valentine’s Day. We’d hate to see something come along and ruin those plans. That’s why we’ve assembled this little guide to foods that you should avoid on Feb. 14 because they might make you a little unkissable. If you don’t want that to happen, keep these foods in mind and off your plate so you can order up a perfect Valentine’s Day.

Bad foods cankill a date

We’re not judging, but we know that you have some ideas for what might happen this Valentine’s Day. We’d hate to see something come along and ruin those plans. That’s why we’ve assembled this little guide to foods that you should avoid on Feb. 14 because they might make you a little unkissable. If you don’t want that to happen, keep these foods in mind and off your plate so you can order up a perfect Valentine’s Day.

When Valentine’s Day comes along, what you order may be as important as what you wear, the gifts you give or the flowers you buy. We’re not talking about the power of so-called aphrodisiacs here, either. There are some dishes that will kill the deal if you’re looking for romance this Valentine’s Day (whether you’re a man or a woman). Still, don’t worry. Armed with the right culinary knowledge, you can avoid these foods this Feb. 14 and rest assured the night will go where it should.

1

Foods that smell bad on their own

It makes sense that if you don’t like how something smells outside your mouth, you’re not going to like how it smells inside of it. So, when you consider ordering things like coffee, red wine and curry, pause and ask yourself if you’d like to kiss a big pile of whatever that food is. If the answer is no, order something else.

2

Salmon

Salmon is an interesting case in that after it’s cooked, it loses its fishy smell and takes on an aroma many find pleasant. However, after eating, the fattiness of the fish can coat the inside of the mouth and cause stray food particles to stick around. That does not make for good breath.

3

Many salad dressings

In continuing the theme of not eating foods that don’t smell good on their own, be very careful of the type of salad dressing you order. A lot of salad dressings have a pleasant aroma on their own, but hide shallots, small amounts of onion, garlic and Parmesan cheese. Any of these can take you to unpleasant breathville.

4

Eggs

When cooked, eggs have a pleasantly briny flavor, especially when the eggs are fresh. That makes them seem so innocent. Still, there is a lot of sulfur in eggs that you can’t exactly pick out when you eat them. However, it’s very noticeable when you burp and when you breathe out.

5

Raw green peppers

Green peppers don’t exactly smell wonderful by themselves, but they are slightly acidic. This raises the pH factor in the mouth to a point where bacteria get very comfortable and start to breed. This is a double whammy of bad breath.

6

Dishes with turmeric

Turmeric is a spice found in many Indian, Middle Eastern and African dishes. It’s potent with a big flavor and a vibrant yellow color. It’s great for the digestion but horrible for the breath. Therefore, whenever possible, avoid curry and African stews unless you have a toothbrush.

7

Foods made from dill pickles

Dill pickles are another double whammy of anti-good-smelling-breath power. Many pickles are made with numerous spices that don’t do nice things to your breath. They’re also pickled in vinegar, which smells bad by itself, can raise the pH of the mouth and lets all that bad breath bacteria have a field day.

8

Anything that has ketchup

Ketchup is like dill pickles, only worse. First of all, it’s made from a number of spices that get the bad breath started (garlic and black pepper, for instance). Second, the high acid content of this condiment will keep that bad breath lasting a long time. Third, the tomatoes also are high in acid and can cause bad breath by themselves. So, yeah, avoid ketchup.

9

Beer

Beer, like a lot of alcoholic beverages, is bad for a number of reasons. The one that’s the most damning for your breath, though, is that it dries out the mouth. This prevents saliva from getting in and rescuing you from halitosis and lets all those bad breath-producing baddies keep doing their thing.

10

Soda

Finally, soda may be the single worst bad breath producer, worse even than garlic. Garlic’s effect is only temporary while soda’s can last forever. Soda gets the bad breath going by drying out the mouth and giving all the bacteria in your mouth a sugar-filled shot of energy. That gets them multiplying, making more bad breath. Plus, soda can stain your teeth and wear them down, giving all those bacteria more places to hide and continuing to make your breath bad. All in all, any type of soda, diet or otherwise, should be avoided if you want to ensure a kiss this Valentine’s Day.